Portret van Filips III de Schone after 1661

This is Pieter de Jode the Younger's portrait of Philip the Fair, created sometime in the 17th century, using engraving techniques. Notice the framing within the frame, where Philip's bust appears as if set into a niche or window. The regular lines and geometric shapes that border the portrait give way to the soft, almost dissolving lines of Philip’s fur collar and curled hair. The composition is sharply divided between inscription and image, between symbolic representation and the physical embodiment of the royal figure. Consider how de Jode uses the contrast between the strict lines of text and border, and the fluid lines of the portrait, to signal power structures. The portrait's aesthetic draws on period-specific visual and cultural codes to convey status, and suggest an interaction between representation and reality. The linear precision in this engraving encourages a semiotic reading, where each element functions as a sign within a larger framework of meaning and cultural expression.